Eagor!
greenish rat snake
Eagor is a greenish rat snake which is a cross between a yellow and a black rat snake. Rat snakes are very like corn snakes and can cross breed with them but rats are more temperamental than corns and are more likely to bite you! I got Eagor for my 14th birthday in a pet shop in Galway as it was about half the price of my LFS. When I went I was originally going to buy a baby foot long albino rat/ corn cross but when I saw Eagor (at about 4 years old at the time) I just had to get him. I find him very easy to keep and would encourage anybody to get one.
When I got Eagor he measured 4’1” on Mon_14-06-04 and now he measures 4’10” on Fri_12-01-07 and has not grown any bigger since so I think this will be his full adult size. Eagor is in a vivarium which is built into my wardrobe and is just big enough for him to live in. It is heated by a heating mat on the right side of the vivarium and is kept at 28 C. Eagor usually spends his time in his den at the left side of the vivarium or in the pipe on the right side of the upper level of his vivarium. I feed Eagor one frozen mouse each week (or sometimes a little less) which I buy in a LFS.
Characteristics
Usually docile and attractive constrictors which make great pets for most people (although corn snakes are a little better for beginners). Generally good tempered and easily handled. Large wild caught animals may initially be nervous and bite or musk (a fowl smell excreted from the snake) when threatened, with a bit of patience they tame easily. An efficient climber and predator of rodents and sometimes birds although I always feed Eagor mice
A healthy rat snake can live up to 20 years in captivity and breeding females a little less.
Feeding...
Videos of my snake eating ^^ the first is just him striking the mouse and the second one is him eating the mouse!
On average an adult rat snake should get about 1-2 medium-large sized mice (or small rats) per week. It is best to get frozen mice and thaw them out before feeding them to the snake. Live mice are not a good idea in my opinion for a captive snake as they are confined into the vivarium together and if the snake is not feeling hungry at the time the mouse can bite the snake and do more harm than good. Also live mice are more likely to carry disease compared to frozen mice and this could make your snake ill which is never a good thing.
It is a good idea to keep a stock of frozen mice all the time just incase you are unable to get any at some stage. It is also a good idea to keep a chart of when your snake is feeding and isn't feeding.
Eagors feeding chart
Housing
The smallest size housing for an adult rat snake is about 20 gallons but if a vivarium is too big it can stress the snake out so depending on the size of your snake i would recoment 20 - 40 gallons. This should include an easy to clean substrate such as wood chips which you can buy in most pet stores for snakes or shredded paper. Heating should be at one side of the vivarium so that the snake can regulate his own temperature by going between hot and cool areas. I keep my vivarium at 28 C on the warm side. Hiding places should be provided for the snake to hide in, there should be at least one on the cool side of the vivarium and one on the warm/ heated side of the vivarium. Water MUST be available for your snake at all times so that he doesn't become dehydrated and his water bowl should be large enough for him to submerse his body in.
Lighting is also an important part of a rat snakes housing, I usually have my vivarium lights on just a little over 12 hours a day and I find this to be to Eagors liking. It is also recommended that you clear the vivarium of any feces on a daily basis although i only get to do it on weekend because im not home during the week but it doesnt get too messy. All in all it is not very hard to house a rat snake as long as he gets enough food and water.
PLEASE do not use anything made of cedar in your vavarium. Cedar is deadly to reptiles!
Disease
Well I think that the best way to deal with disease is to prevent it from happening in the first place. It is pretty easy to do this... all you really have to do is keep your snake clean and well fed and watered "a healthy snake is a happy snake" << or something like that any way!
If you do however have a sick snake there are a few things you can do. If it has external parasites like mites you should see them on the snake and in his vivarium. It is pretty easy to deal with these parasites though. All you have to do is place a piece of fly paper in the snake’s vivarium somewhere that the snake can't touch or come into contact with it. This should catch the mites and should clear up your vivarium in a couple of weeks or less!
Believe it or noy your snake can get worms just like a cat or dog can. The best way to treat these is to give your snake a worm dose once a year to prevent him from getting worms. Although I myself have never given my snake a worm dose it is a good precaution to take. Although if your snake ever does get worms you should be able to get rid of them if you give him a worm dose.
If your snake ever gets seriously ill you should contact you nearest vet as soon as possible and get him back to his usual self. Luckily snakes rarely get sick if they are taken care of properly.
Handling
Always support the snake's body, avoid fast movements. Avoid techniques which restrict a snake's movement. Avoid public situations which draw attention to the animal and don't try to 'force' your snake onto someone that is afraid of snakes as it will be stressful to the snake. A nervous snake may occasionally bite, if biting occurs and is a problem, wear gloves. The handler must convince the snake that it is safe, trust must be learned. Snakes bite for two reasons: they have mistaken you as food or they are in fear of their safety. Snakes do not bite for no reason.
Ratsnakes tend to be more tempramental than there relatives the corn snake (whom they can X-breed with) and they may bite more readily than them.